Its true ... Scotland has World Cup dream

Jason Scotland was deemed not good enough to play in the Premierleague but the Trinidadian could line up against the best in Germany, writes Richard Wilson

“I’LL BE sitting somewhere when I suddenly just think about it; sometimes I’m mad and sometimes I just think, ‘Well, I’m home now’,” says Jason Scotland, and he shrugs philosophically. The memories of last summer continue to linger, a time when his work permit application was denied and he went from having featured in the Scottish Cup final for Dundee United to being out of work and uncertain of his future.

That he now plays in the First Division for St Johnstone and is two games away from helping Trinidad & Tobago qualify for the World Cup just seems to emphasise the absurdity of this period of his life. “There’s been a big turnaround,” he adds with a disarming smile.

Scotland was denied his work permit because he had not played in 75% of his country’s international matches, a situation caused in part by a disagreement with the national coach